The hidden trend behind the 3D TV standard dispute

After the first year of 3D TV, the TV market, like other emerging markets, has also encountered a standard dispute. Active shutter 3D TVs led by brands such as Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic, and passive polarized 3D TVs led by LG have become the two competing forces in the current 3D TV market.

According to the survey report of NPD Group, in the first half of this year, active 3D TV occupied 96% of the 3D TV market in the United States, and the global active 3D TV and polarized 3D TV market size ratio is close to 10:1. This means that active shutter 3D TV still has an absolute advantage in the global market. In this regard, some experts believe that passive polarized 3D TV has entered the 3D market with its low price, which has greatly promoted the popularization of the concept of 3D TV and the expansion of the market, but active shutter 3D TV is more recognized by users with its full HD 3D picture quality and realistic 3D experience.

Starting from high-end to promote the industrialization of 3D TV

In April 2010, Samsung launched the world's first 3D LED TV using active shutter 3D technology, ushering in the first year of 3D TV. Subsequently, many brands including Sony, Panasonic, Hisense, and even LG, which later dominated passive polarized technology, adopted active technology and jointly opened up the 3D TV market. Until the end of last year, passive polarized 3D technology made a high-profile debut as a "new generation" 3D technology - "flicker-free", and the "3D storm" suddenly emerged.

In fact, polarized 3D technology has been around for a long time. Industry insiders said that from passive chromatic aberration technology to polarized technology, and then to active shutter technology, 3D display technology has gone through years of exploration and evolution. The earliest "chromatic aberration" 3D technology had poor effects. Subsequently, the improved "polarized" 3D technology was widely used in 3D theaters, but because the polarizer on the screen divided the image, it had defects such as low resolution and narrow 3D viewing angle, and was not adopted by TV manufacturers. With the acceleration of the 3D industrialization process, the third generation of full HD 3D display technology - "active shutter" 3D technology was born, and the mass production of 3D TVs was realized.

As a leader in 3D TV and a representative of active shutter 3D technology, Samsung's 3D TV had a market share of 52% from its global launch in early 2010 to October of that year. At that time, 3D was still integrated into TV products as a relatively high-end function.

Extending the mid- and low-end, the "3D trend" promotes the market surge

Since the beginning of this year, the competition among 3D TV camps has become increasingly fierce. The "Flicker-free" alliance represented by LG and Skyworth and the "Full HD 3D" alliance represented by Samsung, Sony and Panasonic have been established.

At present, the significance of passive polarized 3D TV lies more in the rapid expansion of the overall market size of 3D TV. Especially in China, low-priced polarized 3D TV has quickly opened up the low-end and mid-range 3D TV market, providing a solid foundation for the further development of the overall 3D TV market.

Future competition: quality is still king

As for the future development trend of 3D TV, a common conclusion is that active shutter and passive polarized 3D TV will coexist and develop according to their respective market divisions. According to news, some enterprises are developing the technology of "active shutter + passive polarized", which may retain the advantages of full HD picture quality of active shutter 3D TV and low cost of passive polarized 3D TV. This means that active 3D TV may enter the broader 3D TV market at a lower price and gain a better living space in the future 3D TV.

Compared with passive polarized 3D technology, the previous active shutter 3D glasses have defects such as non-universality, high price and heavy weight, which have always been criticized by the former in the "3D storm". In order to unify product specifications and better meet the needs of consumers, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and 3D glasses manufacturer XPAND 3D jointly announced that they will jointly carry out the "FULL HD 3D GLASSES INITIATIVE" active 3D glasses technology cooperation to develop universal active 3D glasses using new standardized technology, which will further enhance the industrial strength of the active 3D TV camp.

At the same time, the Bluetooth 3D glasses launched by Samsung TV avoid the interference of external light on the 3D signal, making the 3D picture more stable. At the same time, the new active 3D glasses weigh less than 30 grams and are not burdensome to wear.

Since active 3D technology requires a higher screen response speed, it also requires higher panel technology to support it. Polarized 3D TVs use IPS panels with lower technical requirements and relatively low prices, so they have won the support of some domestic TV companies and the market size has expanded rapidly. However, since this technology divides the complete picture, the picture resolution and vertical viewing angle are halved, and the user experience and picture effect are greatly reduced.

Some analysts also believe that if passive polarized 3D TV cannot be integrated with active standards, it will be difficult for it to break through the low-end image and market. For users who buy 3D TVs, the 3D experience is the fundamental driving force and core factor for their purchase. Therefore, only true 3D experience can win long-term recognition from users.